Robert Scheer: The Good Germans in Government

[HereSince1628]

4. The certain damage done by Snowden is embarrassment of people in high places

Looking back over a half-century of political awareness, I note that this sort of damage is often the most seriously pursued. 'The Boss' never likes to be embarrassed.

Now, I'm open to the idea that I don't know the entire range and scope of information that Snowden may have possessed. Frankly, I accept that what we think of as the reality around Snowden and his activity is largely a purposefully constructed 'limited hangout.'

But the combination of Manning's document release and the suggestion that that Snowden has hundreds of documents whose release
'may get many people killed' suggest that the US security establishment has gotten very sloppy about compartmentalization of information. People can't leak, sell, or otherwise compromise classified information that they don't have. Something has gone awry.

The security apparatus has ALWAYS leaked, and the behemoth security apparatus that has risen like the fruiting body of a fungus since 911 is looking like an unfiltered sieve more than ever.

Administrative sloppiness would underlie such a problem. And embarrassment of those responsible for such porousness could be a significant motivator in this kurfluffle.